So much for my happy ending
by janelle clark
Summary: It's sophomore year of high school and Lizzie has spent it without Miranda and Gordo due to her own selfish actions. She has a new style, new friends and a new attitude. She's fine without them...or is she?
1. Happy Birthday Lizzie!

**AN: This story takes place after my story "And then there was Miranda"...so you probably want to check that story out before you read this one...A LOT takes place in that story!! Just go ahead and click my username and it's in there! :) Happy reading!**

_So much for my happy ending_

_Chapter One - Happy Birthday Lizzie_

* * *

Lizzie ran towards school, looking at her watch as her black boots thud against the wet cement.

"I have to make it! I have to make it!" Lizzie whispered to herself.

Her algebra teacher, Mrs.Hunt had informed her that if she was late to class one more time, her grade would slip from a D minus to an F. Lizzie checked her watch again and noticed she had exactly 20 seconds to make it down the hallway. She ran as fast as she could, feeling the chains hanging out her pocket gently hit against her leg. Her long black hair flew behind her as she slid into class just as the bell rang.

"Nice of you to join us Miss McGuire." Mrs.Hunt said as she turned to the chalk board

"Yeah well, as much as I'd enjoy spending a third year in your class, I think I want to move on next year…" Lizzie grumbled.

Lizzie sat down and immediately drifted into a daydream of her imaginary wedding to Pete Wentz. Ever since she had started high school, she found it difficult to pay attention. She had become lazy and depressed due to the fact that she hadn't had any friends for the majority of her freshman year. Lizzie had pretty much lost everyone at the party she had the summer before high school had started. Miranda and Gordo had stopped speaking to her because she had been a jerk to them both when she suddenly became a local celebrity because of her performance with Isabella in Italy. They probably would have taken her back if she had just apologized…however, she just couldn't get herself to do it.

Lizzie stared out the classroom window and noticed the baseball team practicing. She saw number 11 hit the ball and watched the ball fly all the way across the field. She heard a distant "Woohoo! Great job Gordon!" from the coach. Surprisingly, Gordo had decided to try out for the baseball team last year. He was the only freshman to make it onto the varsity team. Now, as a sophomore he was the team captain. Such success had brought him popularity but even so, he was extremely kind to everyone no matter what their social status was. His newfound popularity hadn't changed him at all.

Lizzie continued to daydream and was startled out of her trance when the bell rang. She shot out of class and tripped over someone's outstretched foot. She grimaced with pain as she fell onto her knees.

"Watch where you're going freak!" Kate sneered, towering over Lizzie.

"Maybe if your feet weren't so big I wouldn't have tripped over them…" Lizzie snapped as she brushed off her black cargo pants and stood up.

"Whatever, Lizzie. Just so you know, I'm having a party on Saturday… If you hear about it, just keep in mind that you aren't invited…well, that is unless you want to provide some exotic entertainment. I'm sure everyone would enjoy a goth stripper! Oh wait…NOT!"

"Kate, that might have offended me in middle school…but we're in high school now. GROW UP!" Lizzie retorted.

"Whatever loser." Kate laughed as she walked away.

Lizzie was used to Kate's immature comments. It didn't even bother her anymore. She knew that at the end of the day she was a better person than Kate and that's all that mattered. Lizzie opened her locker and noticed an unfamiliar pink envelope sitting on top of her books. She opened it, half expecting it to be something insulting from Kate. She gasped as she realized what she had in her hands. It was two tickets to the Black Tide concert.

"OH MY GOD!" Lizzie screamed.

"Oh my god what?" A girl with long dark brown hair with pink streaks all through it asked.

"Tiffany?! Did you get me these tickets? If so, you are AMAZING!" Lizzie squealed.

"Umm…no, but I DID get you a present! I'll give it to you at lunch…Happy Birthday by the way!" Tiffany said while giving Lizzie a hug.

"Thanks…hmm…I wonder where they came from?" Lizzie pondered as they walked to English together.

"Hey Lizzie!" A male voice called.

For a second Lizzie hoped that it was Gordo. Turns out , it was none other than Larry Tudgeman. He had changed a lot since middle school. Lizzie had always thought that he was fairly attractive, although she would have never admitted that to anyone, but something about him had changed. He had gained self confidence…and a new shirt. He had also made the football team although he wasn't very good. Even so, it was enough for him to start over and get into the "popular" crowd. Ever since then, he had turned into a huge jerk. He had forgotten about science and World of Warcraft. All he cared about was girls, football, and partying.

"What do you want Tudgeman?" Lizzie asked, annoyed.

"I just wanted to let you know…that I wouldn't mind a goth stripper. You can meet me in the janitors closet in 5 minutes. You're invited too Tiffany." Larry said, winking.

"Bite me Tudgeman." Tiffany shot back.

"Oh, I'd love too." Larry teased.

"Grow up Larry!" Lizzie said, rolling her eyes as she and Tiffany made their way down the hall.

* * *

Three more periods had passed and it was now lunchtime. Lizzie sat at a table by herself in the back of the cafeteria while she waited for Tiffany to meet her. Lizzie had met Tiffany in English class at the beginning of sophomore year and ever since, they had become great friends. Tiffany had introduced Lizzie to all of her friends and she had even invited her to be in the band she belonged to. Lizzie was glad to have friends again, but she still felt like something was missing.

Lizzie stared across the cafeteria and her eyes landed on Miranda and Gordo's table. She watched as Miranda playfully threw popcorn at Gordo. Miranda had been home schooled all of freshman year because of her pregnancy but she came back at the start of tenth grade. She was Gordo's best friend so no one dared make fun of her or criticize her for having a child. There was a rumor going around that Gordo was the baby's father but something in Lizzie's gut told her that that wasn't the case.

Gordo looked up for a second and Lizzie could have sworn that they had made eye contact but if they had, their contact was broken as Tiffany ran up to Lizzie with the rest of their band.

"Happy sweet sixteen Lizzie!" They all yelled as they placed gifts and a cake on the lunch table.

"Aww! You didn't have to you guys!" Lizzie yelped happily.

"Yes we did! That's what friends are for!" The guitarist of their band, Craig said, giving Lizzie a hug.

Lizzie was happy but she couldn't help looking back at Miranda and Gordo's table and wondering if they remembered that it was her birthday. Years and years of birthday celebrations can't be erased from someone's memory after one fight…right?


	2. This is what dreams are made of

_So much for my happy ending_

_Chapter two - This is what dreams are made of_

* * *

Lizzie lie silently on her bed, staring at the 2 concert tickets sitting on her bedside table. She couldn't stop wondering who dropped them in her locker. After a few minutes of pondering, her arm hung limply over the bed and she fell asleep.

"_Lizzie I love you and I always will." A voice echoed through the fog _

"_Who is it? Who's there?" Lizzie called into the darkness. _

"_It's me Lizzie. It's Gordo." _

_Suddenly, Gordo was standing right in front of Lizzie and staring into her big blue eyes. _

"_But Gordo, you and Miranda hate me remember?" Lizzie asked as the fog cleared and they walked into a field of yellow daisies. _

"_I could never hate you Lizzie. To me, you are perfect." Gordo whispered. _

_He gently lifted her chin and softly kissed her lips. The kiss became more passionate and Lizzie could feel her heart beating faster, faster, and faster. Lizzie could faintly hear someone calling out her name in the distance. She tried to ignore it and only focus on deepening the kiss but the calls became louder and louder until she couldn't stand it anymore. _

"WHAT?!" Lizzie shouted, opening her eyes, and realizing that she had been dreaming.

"Jeez Lizzie! I just wanted to know if I could borrow that old picture of great grandpa you have. I have a project due tomorrow!!" Matt said, looking a bit startled at Lizzie's outburst.

"UGH! Matt! Any other time you would just take what you want from my room. Why did you finally decide to ask for permission at TWO AM!"

"Because, I always thought that vampires stayed awake all night!" Matt teased.

Lizzie rolled her eyes and with an exasperated sigh, began rummaging under her bed. Behind her old violin, a shoebox full of elementary school valentines, and a volleyball, she found the wooden box that the picture was in. The box was what she liked to call her memory box. Throughout her childhood and teenage life she had filled it with pictures, letters, and various mementos. Luckily the fading black and white photo was lying on the top of the pile inside the box.

"Here Brat, take it and LEAVE!" Lizzie said, throwing the picture at her brother.

"Fine, fine fine! Wait hey, what's this?" Matt asked, grabbing for a piece of paper that had fallen out of the box.

Lizzie stared in horror as her brother read the first line of the letter.

"_I really don't even know how to start this letter…." _Matt read. "OOh, this sounds good Lizzie! Who's it from? Your BOYFRIEND? Oh wait, no one would want to date a weirdo like you!"

Matt laughed as Lizzie grabbed for the piece of paper.

"Give it back you little punk! Stop!" Lizzie yelled as he dodged her weak attempts to retrieve the letter.

"_Everything that happened tonight was just weird. Watching you and Kate's group...I just lost all respect for you. You're not the kind, sweet, funny girl that I used to know." _Matt continued in a mock soap opera voice.

"When were you ever kind and sweet?" Matt asked as he hopped over a trashcan to get away from Lizzie.

Lizzie gave up trying to get the letter from her smaller, and much faster little brother and just stood there horrified, as he finished reading the it. As he read on and on her eyes filled more and more with tears.

"_I love you and I always will. Sincerely David" _

Upon hearing the last line of the letter, the tears building in Lizzie's eyes tumbled out like a waterfall. She fell to the ground and covered her eyes with her hands. Matt's satisfied grin quickly disappeared.

"What's wrong? It's just a stupid letter! Why aren't you hitting me or running to Mom to tattle on me? Dude Lizzie, I didn't think you would cry!" Matt exclaimed.

"Just get the hell out of my room Matt! JUST GET OUT!" Lizzie screamed.

Matt whispered a quiet sorry as he walked out of the room. Lizzie got up and slammed the door behind him. She picked up the old letter on her bed and held it to her heart as she continued to sob. The words "I love you and I always will" rang over and over in her head like school bells. Lizzie turned to her mirror and stared at her reflection for a few seconds. She examined the girl with the black hair, the black nail polish, and the smudged, heavy eyeliner that was staring back at her.

"What am I doing?" She asked herself aloud. She then pulled on a white Guns N Roses hoodie and quietly climbed out her bedroom window.

* * *

Gordo lie silently in his bed, staring at the ceiling in the darkness of his room. It was almost 3 am and he hadn't gotten any sleep. All he could think about was the look Lizzie had given him at lunch the day before. It was almost like she was pleading with him with her eyes. He really wanted to just get up and tell her Happy Birthday but for some reason, he just couldn't bring himself to do it. He knew Miranda felt the same way; he had caught her sneaking glimpses at Lizzie's table the entire lunch period. She looked happy with her new group of friends. They were a little uh…different…but Gordo was just happy that Lizzie was okay. It had killed him the year before to watch her roam the halls alone and when he had made the baseball team, the only thing he had wanted to do was run and tell Lizzie. However, he was still a little bitter. Gordo wasn't the type of person to hold a grudge, but she pretty much ripped his heart in two. He had loved her more than anything and she treated him like he was her footstool. Now, he wasn't exactly sure how he felt about her. He came out of his thoughts when he heard a quiet rustling in the bushes outside his window. At first he ignored it and assumed it was just a raccoon or some other late night roaming animal, but the rustling was followed by a few taps on his window. Gordo got out of bed and slowly approached the window. He felt his heartbeat begin to race as he debated whether he should pull back the curtain or to call one of his parents. He felt his body tense up as he slowly peeked around the curtain.

"Lizzie?"

"Let me in Gordo, it's cold out here!" Lizzie whispered behind the window.

Gordo opened the window and began to help Lizzie crawl through. She had one foot over the window sill when she lost her balance and tumbled head first into his bedroom, taking Gordo down with her. Lizzie let out a small yelp as she hit the floor.

"Well, I guess some things never change right?" Lizzie said sheepishly.

"What are you doing here Lizzie?" Gordo asked, sounding a little more irritated than he intended.

"I…I'm not sure…" said Lizzie, beginning to regret her abrupt decision to come there.

"What the hell Lizzie?"

"I'm sorry Gordo! Why don't you just chill!"

"Why don't I chill? Umm…maybe because I haven't talked to you in over a year and you randomly showed up at my bedroom window at 3 am and scared the crap out of me!"

"I'm sorry! I always wanted to talk to you.."

"Then why didn't you Lizzie?"

"Why didn't YOU talk to ME?"

Gordo sighed and shook his head.

"I don't know…I guess I needed some time, time away from you. My entire middle school career was centered around you…and in the end I realized that you didn't notice, or even care. I guess I needed some time to become my own person."

"But Gordo! I DID care, I DO care!" Lizzie sat down on Gordo's bed and looked up at him as her eyes filled with tears.

Gordo stood there awkwardly watching as Lizzie began to sob. He wasn't sure if he should try to comfort her or if he should just stand there and give her a couple minutes to get herself together. After a few seconds that seemed like a lifetime, Gordo crawled onto the bed next to Lizzie and put his hand on her shoulder. He didn't know what to say, but his presence and touch made Lizzie immediately feel better. She turned her head to face him and suddenly became aware of how close they were sitting. Almost instinctively Gordo began to move his face forward, even closer to hers.

"Gordo?" Lizzie whispered.

"Yeah?"

"Are you Miranda's son's dad?"

Gordo backed up abruptly and shook his head annoyed.

"What? No! How could you even think for one second that-"

"I'm sorry! I didn't think so but, a lot of people do think that you are…" Lizzie trailed off, embarrassed for asking.

"I know what people think, and I don't really care. I am behind Miranda one hundred percent, but no, I am not her child's father. Honestly Lizzie, at the time when Miranda got pregnant, she wasn't who was on my mind. If I was to lose my virginity to anyone, it wouldn't have been Miranda…"

Lizzie bit her lip and tried to hide the smile that was trying to make it's way to her face.

"Well, if you're not the dad…who is?" Lizzie asked.

"Uh, I don't know Lizzie…I mean…that's not my secret to tell."


	3. Definitely NOT okay

_So much for my happy ending_

_Chapter three - Definitely NOT okay_

* * *

Lizzie awoke to hear her alarm clock buzzing repeatedly.

"Ugh…no…shut up!!" Lizzie moaned, reaching out her left hand to press the snooze button. To Lizzie's surprise, her outreached hand didn't touch the alarm clock on her bedside table, it just met empty air. She finally opened her eyes and realized that it was not her alarm clock that she had heard, but Gordo's. It was then when she became aware of his arm draped over her side.

"Gordo! Gordo! Wake up! We fell asleep!" Lizzie exclaimed, jumping out of the bed.

"Huh? Mom, come on, ten more minutes…" Gordo said groggily as he slowly opened his eyes.

"Holy - Lizzie, we fell asleep!" Gordo said, sitting up.

"Umm duh! Kinda figured that out already!" Lizzie said while trying to gather her things.

"What do you mean? I set my alarm for 6:45 a.m like I always do!" Gordo argued.

"No Gordo! You set it for 8:45!!"

"Really?" Gordo asked as he looked at the clock. "Well, I did have a lot on my mind last night…"

"Oh no, oh no, oh no!!" Lizzie shrieked as she accidentally spilled all the contents of her purse onto the floor.

Gordo bent down to help her pick up her things and laughed.

"Lizzie, what's the problem? So we're late to school once, it's not a big deal."

"No, it is Gordo! Mrs.Hunt said she would fail me if I was late one more time!"

"Oh crap…okay, let's go!" Gordo said running out his bedroom door.

"Gordo, you're still wearing your pjs!!"

"Who cares! Come on!"

Gordo and Lizzie ran through his house and out the front door, thanking God that his parents had both gone off to work already.

"Wait! I don't have my backpack or anything!" Lizzie exclaimed.

"It's okay, your house is on the way!" Gordo said as he hopped into his car and started the ignition. Five minutes later they arrived at Lizzie's house and she jumped out of the car, into the house, and upstairs to her room.

"Elizabeth Mcguire! Where were you all night?" Her mom angrily yelled, following Lizzie up the stairs.

"At Gordo's!" Lizzie said as she hurriedly threw some books into her school bag.

"Gordo's? Don't lie to me Lizzie. I know you haven't talked to Gordo in over a year!"

"Mom, I can't talk! Gonna be late for school!" Lizzie yelled as she ran back downstairs with her things and out the front door.

Her mother stood confused at the front door as she watched Lizzie hop back into Gordo's car.

"We only have five minutes to get there Gordo! We're never gonna make it! I'm going to be in Geometry AGAIN my junior year!"

"No, you're not. Because A, we're going to get there in time and B, I'm going to help you pass." Gordo said as he sped down the residential streets.

They finally arrived at school with a minute to spare until the bell rang.

"Gordo, thank you so-"Lizzie started as she hopped out the car.

"Your welcome, go, go, go!" Gordo insisted.

Lizzie ran up the familiar steps of her high school and down the long hall to reach her math class. She was about a foot from the classroom as the bell began to ring. She used one last final push of strength to push through the door before it stopped ringing.

"I'm here! On time!" Lizzie exclaimed happily to Mrs.Hunt.

"Congratulations." Mrs. Hunt said sarcastically. "Please take your seat."

Lizzie smiled smugly and attempted to pay attention as her teacher began the lesson.

* * *

Lunch time came around and Lizzie sat silently next to Tiffany at their usual table. Tiffany was ranting about how her biology teacher smelled like eggs but Lizzie didn't hear one word she was saying. She was too busy staring at Gordo's table. Miranda was there eating what looked like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and talking to some of Gordo's baseball teammates. Gordo hadn't arrived to the table yet and Lizzie was wondering what was taking him so long, as lunch had started over 10 minutes ago.

"Lizzie! Umm…hello, earth to Lizzie McGuire?" Tiffany said, annoyed when she realized that Lizzie wasn't paying attention to her.

"Oh, sorry Tiff, I just have a lot on my mind." Lizzie apologized.

"Well, spill! I'm your best friend for a reason!"

"Well, there's this guy…" Lizzie started.

"Hey, Lizzie!" Gordo called from a few feet away, interrupting Lizzie's conversation with Tiffany.

A smile immediately sprang onto Lizzie's face as Gordo made his way to her table.

"Hey Gordo!" She answered.

"Gordo? What the hell? Umm, when did you become friends with David Gordon and when did you become close enough friends with him to call him Gordo? Doesn't that mean fat in Spanish?" Tiffany asked, confused.

"We're old friends. Well, we were…well…are…again…I think…" Lizzie giggled.

"Yeah, we are." Gordo said, laughing at Lizzie's awkward answer.

"Well, what's up Gordo?" Lizzie asked.

"Well, I meant what I said this morning about helping you pass Geometry, so I was thinking…maybe you could stop by after school for a tutoring session."

"Of course!" Lizzie answered quickly.

"You know, I'm having trouble in history…" Tiffany interrupted.

"Well, I guess I could help you too. You guys can both come to my house after school." Gordo said grinning back at Tiffany.

There was something about the way that Tiffany and Gordo were looking at each other that made Lizzie's stomach turn.

"I…I'm sure with baseball and all your AP classes you don't have time to tutor two people Gordo…and we totally understand…RIGHT TIFFANY?" Lizzie said, raising an eyebrow at her best friend.

"Oh…yeah…I totally understand…" Tiffany said.

"No, it's fine, I always have time to tutor a beautiful lady…" Gordo nervously joked.

Lizzie seriously felt like she was going to hurl. She refused to believe that Gordo was actually flirting with her best friend right now. They all sat in a few seconds of awkward silence until Gordo cleared his throat.

"Well, see you guys after school!" He smiled, as he walked off to his usual lunch table where Miranda and a bunch of his baseball teammates were already seated.

"Umm…why didn't you tell me that you knew David Gordon? He is totally adorable!" Tiffany excitedly yelped after he was out of earshot.

"Yeah, we kinda dated…" Lizzie pointed out.

"Oh…umm…well…I guess me taking a shot at him is totally out of the question…" Tiffany dramatically sighed.

"No, it's history, ancient middle school history. Go for it. He and I are just friends. It's okay." Lizzie said, even though deep inside she knew that it was definitely NOT okay.


	4. This is what nightmares are made of

**AN: Please review even if you hate it! :)**

_So much for my happy ending_

_Chapter four - This is what nightmares are made of_

* * *

The rest of the day seemed to last an entire lifetime for Lizzie. Even though she had to share her quality time with Gordo with Tiffany, she was still excited that she was going to be hanging out with him at all. In her last period she sat watching the hand on the clock slowly making its way around the circle.

"COME ON!" Lizzie whispered to herself.

Finally, the last bell rang and Lizzie pretty much ran to her locker, where she and Tiffany had agreed to meet. She opened it, grabbed her books out and stuffed them sloppily into her backpack. She then slammed her locker door shut and leaned up against it, waiting for Tiffany to get there. She stood there patiently for about five minutes until she began to get anxious.

"What is taking her so damn long?" She thought to herself.

She pulled out her cell phone and texted Tiffany, asking her where she was. After another five minutes of no response, Lizzie decided to go look for her. She quickly walked over to the next building, where Tiffany's locker was located. She walked up and down the hallway and found no sign of Tiffany anywhere. Frustrated, Lizzie flipped open her cell and dialed Tiffany's number. The phone began to ring and Lizzie frowned as she heard "Vindicated" by Dashboard Confessional, Tiffany's cellphone's ringtone, coming from the janitor's closet.

"What the hell?" Lizzie said to herself, as she approached the closet.

Something told Lizzie not to open the door, but she knew that if Tiffany's cell was in there, so was Tiffany. Lizzie quickly opened the door and saw what she had been dreading all along. Tiffany was leaning against a shelf, with her arms wrapped around a guy's neck. The guy noticed that someone had opened the door and abruptly pulled away from Tiffany.

"Lizzie!" Gordo said, surprised.

"Umm…I…oh…sorry!" Lizzie said as she slowly backed away from the door.

Tiffany wiped her smudged lipstick with her hand and looked back at Lizzie sheepishly, feeling embarrassed. The sight was too much for Lizzie to handle so she turned and ran down the hallway, trying to hold back her tears until she burst out of the building's doors.

Lizzie's vision was blurred with tears as she ran out of school and onto the street. She was far from Tiffany and Gordo, but for some reason she kept running. She ran past the digital bean, past the mall, and even past her own house. Her lungs were burning and her legs were aching but she didn't want to stop. She didn't want to stop and have to think about what she had just seen. Even with the pain she felt, it still couldn't distract her from the image of Gordo and Tiffany kissing which kept replaying over and over in her head. Finally Lizzie's lungs felt like they were going to explode and she physically couldn't run any further. She stopped in the middle of the street and looked up to see a car speeding towards her. She closed her eyes and expected to feel the impact of the car against her body. Instead she heard the loud screech of the breaks and an angry yell from the female driver. She slowly opened her eyes and found a red Dodge Durango literally within inches of her.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" The driver screamed. "What are you thinking running into a busy street without looking and then STOPPING in the middle?! I could have KILLED you! Oh my god, you scared me so freaking bad!!"

"Miranda?" Lizzie said quietly, as she finally recognized the brunette head popping out of the SUV's window.

Miranda's angry face softened as she noticed Lizzie's red eyes and the mascara running down her cheeks. They stared at each other in silence until the driver in the car behind Miranda began to honk his horn repeatedly.

"Get in, I'm blocking traffic." Miranda stated.

"But I…" Lizzie trailed off.

"Get in the car Lizzie." Miranda said sternly.

Lizzie sighed as she tried to regain her composure and climb into the car.

"What's wrong?" Miranda asked as soon as Lizzie had shut the door.

"Why do you care?" Lizzie snapped.

"God Lizzie, just because we haven't talked for a year doesn't mean I stopped caring about you. I'm kind of concerned seeing as though you tried to kill yourself just now." Miranda answered, keeping her eyes on the road.

"I didn't try to kill myself! I just…" Lizzie trailed off.

"You just what?" Miranda asked quietly.

"Mommy…" A tiny voice whined from the back of the SUV.

Lizzie turned her head around and finally noticed the baby strapped in the car seat in the back.

"Aww, it's okay Ryan! We'll be home in just a little while okay?" Miranda said, looking back in her rearview mirror.

The baby continued to whine and Miranda expertly passed a bottle full of juice to the baby as she kept one hand on the wheel.

"See? All better!" Miranda said in that annoying voice that adults use to talk to young children.

"Wow…" Lizzie said, shaking her head.

"What?" Miranda asked.

"You're a mom Miranda!"

"Well yeah, I've been one for a year, I'm kind of used to it now…" Miranda stated, slightly annoyed.

"I'm sorry, I just, I've never seen him before…Well, that's not exactly true…I saw you guys in the mall once back when he was only a few months old. I didn't know what to do or say so I hid behind one of those fake palm trees…" Lizzie admitted.

"I know, my Mom saw you and asked why you didn't come say hi…" Miranda said.

"Oh…what did you tell her?"

"I told her that we weren't friends any longer." Miranda answered, still not making eye contact with Lizzie.

"Oh…" Lizzie said quietly.

They sat in silence for a few seconds as Miranda pulled the car over.

"Where are we?" Lizzie asked.

"Larry Tudgeman's house." Miranda answered, turning a deep shade of red.

"What? Why?" Lizzie asked.

"Just, just wait in here okay?" Miranda snapped as she unhooked her seatbelt.

Miranda hopped out of the car , opened the back door and took Ryan out of his car seat. Lizzie watched from the car as Miranda carried him across the street and up to Larry's front door. She rang the doorbell and after a couple seconds, Larry opened the door and made a disgusted face when he saw who was there. He shook his head and said something, but Lizzie was too far away to hear. Lizzie's curiosity got the best of her and she quietly slipped out of the car. She silently sneaked up the next door neighbors lawn, crouching behind the bushes that separated their grass from the Tudgeman's.

"What do you want Miranda? Money?" Larry asked.

"What? No! I don't need your money Larry." Miranda answered angrily.

"Then what do you want?"

"I want you to stop ignoring the fact that you have a kid!" Miranda yelped loudly.

Lizzie let out a loud gasp as she realized what was going on. Luckily neither Miranda or Larry noticed.

"Shh! Be quiet! My parents are inside!" Larry said as he closed his front door.

"You haven't told them? What the hell Larry?! Just because you ignore your son doesn't mean that he'll go away!"

"God Miranda, the kid probably isn't even mine!"

"How can you even say that Larry? Ryan looks just like you!"

"How can I say that? Come on Miranda. You remember that day just as well as I do. The way you just laid there and let me do whatever I wanted to. Who knows how many other guys you let do the same."

"What? Larry! I said no!"

"Yeah, but you shut up after I got started."

"Because I was scared!"

"Because you wanted it."

"You know what Larry? You're just pathetic. I pity you." Miranda said with her voice quivering.

"Whatever Miranda, if you haven't noticed, I have plenty of people who think I'm pretty cool. No one liked who I was before, I was a loser."

"I liked you!" Miranda objected.

Larry stood there for a second in silence, as if she was actually getting through to him. Ryan began to cry and finally Larry sighed and shook his head as he watched Miranda bounce the baby up and down in her arms, trying to calm him.

"So? What are you? You're nothing but a single teenage mom who's never gonna amount to anything. Me? I have a full future ahead of me now." Larry said smirking.

"Who are you? What have you become?" Miranda asked incredulously, surprised that those words could even come out of the mouth of someone who used to be so kind.

"Popular.…don't take that away from me Miranda." Larry pleaded.

"Pathetic…" Miranda repeated as she turned around, leaving Larry on his doorstep and headed toward her car.

Lizzie, having heard Miranda's footsteps, ran down the neighbor's lawn and tried to beat Miranda to the car. Unfortunately, they reached it at the same time

"I told you to wait in the car Lizzie!" Miranda yelled.

"But…but…Miranda…why didn't you tell me?" Lizzie asked quietly.

"You were too busy with Kate! Too busy basking in your 15 minutes of fame! You didn't notice Lizzie! You didn't notice that something was wrong! Because you're selfish Lizzie! You're a selfish bitch!" Miranda continued to yell as tears streamed down her face.

"I'm sorry…" Lizzie said, looking down at her black converse shoes.

"You know what Lizzie? You can walk home. Have fun with your little goth friends." Miranda said as she strapped Ryan into his car seat.

Lizzie stood on the sidewalk and watched with tears in her eyes as her former best friend sped away.


End file.
